To call these unsettling times is an understatement: our political leaders are less and less respectable; in business, cheating, lying, and stealing are hazily defined; and in daily life, technology permits us to act in ways inconceivable without it. Yet somehow, people still draw lines between what is acceptable and what is not. In Behaving Badly, Eden Collinsworth speaks with a wide range of figures--from experts to everyday people--to parse out the parameters of modern morality.
In her quest, she squares off with, among others, a neuroscientist who explains why we're not necessarily designed to be good; a CEO fired for blowing the whistle on his multinational corporation; and the cheerfully unrepentant founder of a website facilitating affairs for married people. Fearless, timely, and always thought-provoking, Behaving Badly takes us on an unforgettable journey through the treacherous territory of right and wrong.
www.edencollinsworth.com
"Written with brio and great charm. . . . An implausibly entertaining romp through the ethical questions of our time."
--Andrew Solomon, author of Far from the Tree
"Has technology changed what we believe is right? . . . [Eden Collinsworth] enlists both the famous and infamous to unravel how we make moral choices in an ethical flexible era."
--The Economist Radio
"Morality is a complicated subject, but Eden Collinsworth breaks it down. . . . Her analysis is surprisingly light and fun."
--Bustle
"Fascinating. . . . A refreshing read."
--Big Think
"Regardless of the era, vice is a tale as old as time, and author Eden Collinsworth works wonders to produce a fresh spin on one of the humanity's oldest dichotomous positions, morality."
--PopMatters
"Every day we see and hear stories of bad behavior in sports, business, and politics, in which bad people with no moral compass seem to succeed. . . . This extraordinary, thought-provoking book by Eden Collinsworth makes us stop and consider who we are and who we want to be."
--Ed Rollins, former U.S. Presidential Advisor
"Eden Collinsworth doesn't pull her punches as she explores the shifting moral landscape of our times. Behaving Badly is as insightful as it is hilarious."
--Amanda Foreman, author of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire
"Meticulously researched, historically grounded. . . . Morality and wit are a rare marriage, yet in sharing these stories--and telling her own, by far the most intriguing--they are marshaled into often hilarious lockstep."
--Nancy Collins, journalist, Vanity Fair, The Hollywood Reporter, and ABC News correspondent
"Collinsworth's goal is to make readers think, and she not only succeeds in doing that, but does so in an entertaining manner."
--Booklist
"A wide-ranging, breezy journey through a series of ethical minefields. . . . The author is always a genial guide through the moral thicket, and her companions underscore the provocative spirit of her quest."
--Kirkus Reviews
"Entertaining. . . . Taking a global view, [Collinsworth] maps the moral landscapes of Swiss bank accounts and the murky waters of Japanese business practices, and compares American and French perspectives on monogamy."
--Publishers Weekly